GREENWOOD, Miss. — The Keesler Bridge in downtown Greenwood will be closed to traffic Thursday afternoon as the city hosts a public ceremony marking the iconic structure’s 100th anniversary.
The centennial event will begin at 4:30 p.m. at the south end of the bridge, located at the intersection of Front Street and Fulton Street. The ceremony is free and open to the public, and the bridge will remain closed to vehicles for the duration of the event.
Scheduled speakers include Greenwood Mayor Carolyn McAdams, local historian Dr. Mary Carol Miller, and Lolly Rash, executive director of the Mississippi Heritage Trust. A group photo of attendees will be taken following remarks.
“The Keesler Bridge has not only connected both sides of Greenwood for 100 years,” said McAdams, “it has connected us to our past, to our heritage, and to one another. This celebration will honor both its rich history and the people who fought to preserve it.”
Built in 1925, the Keesler Bridge is a swing-type Howe Truss bridge that spans the Yazoo River. It was officially named on May 4, 1925, in honor of General S.R. Keesler, whose leadership was instrumental in completing the project. The christening took place three days later, when Elizabeth Leflore Ray used water from the historic spring at Malmaison—the former home of Choctaw Chief Greenwood Leflore—for the ceremony.
The bridge was designated a Mississippi Landmark in 1987 and added to the National Register of Historic Places the following year as part of the “Historic Bridges of Mississippi” nomination.
By the late 1990s, the bridge had fallen into disrepair and was at risk of being demolished. Preservation efforts, led by State Representative May Whittington—then director of Main Street Greenwood—resulted in the bridge being named to the Mississippi Heritage Trust’s inaugural “Ten Most Endangered Historic Places” list in 1999. That recognition sparked renewed efforts, culminating in a restoration completed in 2000 with support from the Mississippi Department of Transportation and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Today, the Keesler Bridge remains a vital part of Greenwood’s infrastructure and history.
For more information about the event, contact Greenwood City Hall at (662) 455-7605.
